iPhone 11 Pro If your budget is ~ $1,000

[WhatTheFox]

I am looking to upgrade from iPhone 7. I use it for 6+ hours of phone calls (WFH), 4+ hours for other browsing, messaging and such. It's been a champ and is still going strong. But I think it is time for an upgrade.

I have never owned a smart watch. But considering it since I am in to staying fit (just been doing it the old-fashioned way).

I've been on a spending spree this year so set a budget of $1,000 (approximately) for apple devices. I am debating between the following

1. iPhone 12 Pro
2. iPhone 12 + Series SE
3. iPhone SE + Series 6

Considering I'm a newbie to Watch and an iPhone 7 user I thought I would post here for insight from people who've used much later models.

What is your take? Which option would you suggest for someone like me? Let me know in the poll or in a reply.

 

[Closingracer]

Honestly I would get the 12 and the watch SE. my series 4 which I bought 2 years ago now runs great still and unless you require what’s missing which isn’t much the SE will do the job fine. I like Face ID so there’s that factor as well. Or maybe get the 11 on a discount or even a 11 pro if there’s a steep discount.

 

[slooksterPSV]

The SE is about the same size as the 7 so if you want to stick with the same form factor you could do SE. The main differences between the SE and 6 watch are 6 has ECG and SPo2, Always On Display (and S6 CPU). SE watch doesn’t and only has the S5 cpu.

I would say depending on your use case the SE and SE may be a good match. $400 and $279. The 12 should be out at the end of October but I don’t know how quickly you want to get these. The 12 should include the A14 with a modest 20-30% performance increase over the 11.

I’d say if you want to see if the watch is a good fit and you don’t need the always on, blood oxygen and ecg, do the se watch. Otherwise the 6 with the SE phone may be good.

If you want a larger screen wait until the 12 comes out.

 

[freeagent]

8 months ago I went from a 7 32GB to an XS Max 256GB for 648 USD. Even that was such an awesome upgrade. If it were me I would get a 12 Pro. I would have went with the 11 Pro but I am cheap and I figured the only thing I was missing out on was the third camera and a little better battery life for half the cost. And I would have been stuck with a 64GB phone.. booo. Skip the SE.. while it does give the 7 a good spank, the battery life is pretty similar.

 

[ssledoux]

I’d probably get an 11 or 11 pro at a discounted price and a series 5 watch. I like the always on display much more than I thought I would, and there are some good deals on last year‘s phones right now (and either would be a nice upgrade).

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Lwii2boo]

If you consider budget a thing I would suggest to skip "Pro" iPhone especially this year with no 120Hz.
"Pro" iPhone gives worse value for money vs "regular" iPhone.
Don't get me wrong Pro iPhone can be an excellent choice ! but IMO you should buy them if you really want the specific extra features on them or if you don't mind spending the extra money.
If you are not so interessed/convinced on the extra feature or you want to have a good value for your bucks I would advise to don't buy them.

But once again, it's very personal choice. Look at what you really want/need for your next iPhone and try to don't be too influenced by marketing/status or others superficials things.

Exact same applies for Watch S6 vs Watch SE. If you think you would never or once a year use exclusive stuff on S6 (oxygen blood test etc.), just buy an SE. Once again, depend on what you think you will do on real case use. You can buy for 20$ far more accurance bloog oxygen test on Amazon so IMO not so convinced for the value added given the premium. IMO for a watch I look mainly on futur-proofing, improvements on battery / screen / look etc than a specific test on a Watch than I'm sure I would almost never use in real life situation.

 

[JUCJ85]

I am looking to upgrade from iPhone 7. I use it for 6+ hours of phone calls (WFH), 4+ hours for other browsing, messaging and such. It's been a champ and is still going strong. But I think it is time for an upgrade.

I have never owned a smart watch. But considering it since I am in to staying fit (just been doing it the old-fashioned way).

I've been on a spending spree this year so set a budget of $1,000 (approximately) for apple devices. I am debating between the following

1. iPhone 12 Pro
2. iPhone 12 + Series SE
3. iPhone SE + Series 6

Considering I'm a newbie to Watch and an iPhone 7 user I thought I would post here for insight from people who've used much later models.

What is your take? Which option would you suggest for someone like me? Let me know in the poll or in a reply.

Like others have said if you don't need the ECG or Blood Oxygen monitor, then get the SE, it's much cheaper, as for what iPhone, if you don't mind the 4.7 Inch screen get the SE, but if you want a larger screen get the 12 or 12 Pro, or get the 11 or 11 Pro if you can find a cheaper deal, not much differences from the 11 to the 12, except the design is like the 5s I believe, and a minimal upgrade on CPU speed. I think the storages may be getting bumped to 128GB and 256GB for the 12 Mini/12, and 128GB/256GB/512GB for the 12 Pro/12 Pro Max.

 

[Phone Junky]

With your $1000 budget, I am currently using:
iPhone SE 2020 ($422.94 new from Apple with tax)
Apple Watch S5 GPS Nike edition aluminum ($275 bought here on the marketplace, looks like new)
AirPods Pro ($263.94 new from Apple with tax)

Total=$961.88

 

[Mikeyt1818]

I am good using my SE 2020(for now) and really enjoying my new S6. I traded in my S5 which helped. Now I am waiting for the iPhone 12 mini. You may want to wait for the mini in 2-3 weeks and Grab the SE watch? Mini will have a bigger screen than the SE Despite being a bit smaller and perfect for one handed usage imo!

 

[MisterMillz]

To answer your question directly—iPhone 12 and Watch SE will be a great combination that will undoubtedly last you for years to come. It gets my vote.

I would only look back at the 11 Pro, not the 11 on discount. You‘ll probably save $100 on the 11 once the 12 Series drops. The 12 will have OLED, slimmer bezels, smaller footprint and A14 chip. I think those improvements are worth the $100.

11 Pro is more the size of your 7 with a noticeably larger screen. So, if you want to stay close to that footprint the 11 Pro will still be a fantastic buy. I got mine renewed from Amazon last week for $869. You’ll likely be able to get them certified refurb (essentially brand new) directly from Apple‘s website once the 12s hit. Some carriers will also have them brand new at a $100-$400 discount.

 

[WhatTheFox]

Wow! So many good suggestions. I hadn't even thought about the Mini or AirPods Pro or S5. Thank you, guys! If there are other recommendations please keep them coming.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

This depends on a lot of personal factors.

As I see things, the iPhone SE is iPhone 7-equivalent - single back camera, Home button/Touch ID. Performance is certainly improved, and based on my experience helping a family member who's one, it's a very good choice if you are generally satisfied with the 7 and prefer to stick with Touch ID.

As a photographer, I prefer to have multiple back cameras. As someone who has iPhone X, I'm all-in on Face ID/no Home button (and the larger display that comes from banishing the bottom bezel). So my personal preference would be for iPhone 12/iPhone 12 Plus.

Next comes the Watch. I love mine, so I'm in favor of other people jumping on the bandwagon. So I'd suggest one of the options that includes a Watch.

I'd go with the iPhone 12/Watch SE combo. Watch SE doesn't have everything the Series 6 does, but it's still much better than my old first-gen and very close to my current Series 4. If you can't resist the iPhone 12 Pro then consider delaying the Watch purchase by a number of months. For me, the "sacrifice" of going back to iPhone SE in order to upgrade to a Watch Series 6 isn't worth the trade-off.

 

[WhatTheFox]

This depends on a lot of personal factors.

As I see things, the iPhone SE is iPhone 7-equivalent - single back camera, Home button/Touch ID. Performance is certainly improved, and based on my experience helping a family member who's one, it's a very good choice if you are generally satisfied with the 7 and prefer to stick with Touch ID.

As a photographer, I prefer to have multiple back cameras. As someone who has iPhone X, I'm all-in on Face ID/no Home button (and the larger display that comes from banishing the bottom bezel). So my personal preference would be for iPhone 12/iPhone 12 Plus.

Next comes the Watch. I love mine, so I'm in favor of other people jumping on the bandwagon. So I'd suggest one of the options that includes a Watch.

I'd go with the iPhone 12/Watch SE combo. Watch SE doesn't have everything the Series 6 does, but it's still much better than my old first-gen and very close to my current Series 4. If you can't resist the iPhone 12 Pro then consider delaying the Watch purchase by a number of months. For me, the "sacrifice" of going back to iPhone SE in order to upgrade to a Watch Series 6 isn't worth the trade-off.

I tend to keep my phones (and gadgets) for a while. Considering that plus what I'm hearing from others I like your suggestion of getting the iPhone 12 Pro now and budgeting for a Watch a bit later. iPhone SE is definitely seeming like a no-go now.

Thank you for chipping in with your POV.

 

[maerz001]

With 6+4 hrs of SOT i wouldn’t recommend the iphone SE cos then you need to charge twice a day.
11pro or 12 will probably have double battery life

 

[1rottenapple]

I am looking to upgrade from iPhone 7. I use it for 6+ hours of phone calls (WFH), 4+ hours for other browsing, messaging and such. It's been a champ and is still going strong. But I think it is time for an upgrade.

I have never owned a smart watch. But considering it since I am in to staying fit (just been doing it the old-fashioned way).

I've been on a spending spree this year so set a budget of $1,000 (approximately) for apple devices. I am debating between the following

1. iPhone 12 Pro
2. iPhone 12 + Series SE
3. iPhone SE + Series 6

Considering I'm a newbie to Watch and an iPhone 7 user I thought I would post here for insight from people who've used much later models.

What is your take? Which option would you suggest for someone like me? Let me know in the poll or in a reply.

I would consider series 6 watch with 12. You can resell your 7 To make up the difference. Alway on is a great feature and it’s annoying when the times the watch doesn’t turn on when you subtly raise your hand.
work out wise, the metrics on my apple watch have been enlightening. I know I’m making progress when I compare my exercise times from 2 yrs ago to know.

 

[QCassidy352]

iPhone 12 and watch SE.